Sullie06

I wish I knew that I would have a drain for 48 hours. My surgeon never mentioned it so I assumed they didn't use them, wrong. That was a surprise to wake up to and the most painful part for me. Also I wish I prepared myself better for mild regret directly after surgery and how slow moving through the stages would feel. Now I'm almost 11 months out, about 15-20 pounds from goal and I have zero regrets.

My kids were 1 and 3 when I had my surgery. In terms of cooking, freezer meals seems like a good option for you. Thankfully my husband has always done all the cooking because he's better at it then me and he doesn't mind doing it so he just cooked as usual. In terms of household chores/tasks I would say by 2 weeks post op I was pretty much back to normal, albeit moving slowly. I work full time so I was back to work by 2 weeks post op so driving, chores, etc. we dove right back into our daily routine. While I was in the hospital for the 2 nights my in-laws took my children that way my husband could spend time with me and get things prepared. When I came home, week 1, the kids went to daycare (my husband took them) and my mother stayed home with me and took care of me and did all the stuff around the house she could. Week 2 I was on my own but I was feeling much better by that time.

Amazing job.

My programs is a minimum 3 month programs that includes a set number of support groups, visits with a NUT and a Bariatric psychiatric nurse, an exercise component and an Upper GI. I was entered the program 7/19/16 and had surgery 12/30/16 but I pushed my surgery back a month from approval because I wanted to do it after the holidays when my time off at work resets.

Tapas is generally small appetizer sized dishes of savory food. The origins are Spanish but they do all kinds of Tapas now. We've actually had two restaurants open here recently that do just Tapas and drinks, they don't do full sized meals.

Congrats on your first goal. It feels great doesn't it. I'm currently in a major stall (about 6 weeks) so that's super frustrating but I'm just sticking with it. 15-20 pounds from my overall goal so hopefully I get back to losing soon. Though I have hit my original goal size (Size 12 and Medium) during this stall.

Try different brands/flavors. I had issues tolerating shakes after surgery, I tried so many brands and for awhile avoided shakes all together and drank a protein water instead and GNC has a protein "tea". Once I reintroduced shakes I found the Atkins ones are pretty easy to go down. They are smooth and don't have a strong protein smell or taste.

At 6 weeks I was in the soft solids stage so I was eating pretty much anything I could cut with a fork, which is how my NUT advised me to judge it. For Christmas maybe try a little turkey deli meat or even turkey salad (like chicken salad but with turkey) or Ham Salad if you are allowed pork, mashed potatoes, squash or veggies cooked to soft consistently.

I'm almost 11 months out. Beef has never been an issue for me but chicken was early on. I had to make sure it was super moist and if it wasn't I needed to add some sort of sauce to it. It's gotten better as the time has gone on but chicken still triggers my restriction hard and I can eat very little of it.

I've been stalled since 10/2/17 so 6 weeks currently, bouncing between 190 and 185. I'm almost 11 months out currently and have been trying to switch my diet around like I usually do to break a stall but nothing is working currently so I'm just staying the course and hoping to break it soon. I have gone down another size during this time and the 12s I just bought are getting big as well so maybe even down to a 10 soon. I think you might want to try and up your calories a little bit. I've found that my stalls early out were broken by increasing my calories. HW: 301 SW: 271 CW: 190 (as of today)

Thanks for the reminder Time Hop Left 11/14/16- 275lbs Right- Today- 188 lbs

I actually enjoy eating out more now then I did when I was heavy. Back then I was always the only woman to clear my plate and I would hope so badly one of my thin girlfriends would order desert because it gave me the green light to do it myself. Now it's so different. I eat the same amount or less than my girlfriends who are all very health focused and can just sit back, sip a glass of wine and enjoy the conversation and company without the food being the center of the event. As for other options it depends on who is going out. If it's just girlfriends, what about going to get mani's and pedis, having a spa day or going to a play or movie. If it's the whole family what about some sort of activity like mini golf, skating or going out for Tapas or Drinks only.

I've gone from an 11 wide to a 10 regular

Eating out gets easier and I would say now more than ever I feel normal in social situations. My husband and I have two monthly dinner dates with two groups of friends and I would say that I enjoy it now more than I did before. Now I can eat casually, talk and catch up and always have leftovers to take home like my friends do. I have noticed that if you move your food around your plate a lot, nobody notices your eating so little. I'm 10 months post op and my friends have no idea I had surgery.

10.5 months post op. 115 pounds total, 85 since surgery. Currently been stalled about 6 weeks.

Every surgeon/plan will be different. My advice is to follow your surgeons plan because you are under their medical supervision. My NUT has me on 1200-1500 calories and 90-100 grams of carbs with 70-100 grams of Protein right now but I'm almost 11 months out. I increased to those amounts over time. As for the weight loss it will happen. Early out I was a very slow loser, I plateaued at 3 weeks for a couple weeks (typical 3 week stall) and I had lots of stalls in between surgery and 4 months. Then I had a period of very good weight loss for about 4 months and now I've been stalled for almost 2 months. It's frustrating and I hate seeing the scale go up (I'm bouncing between 185 and 190) but I am just sticking with it and trying to find the money spot to break the stall (increasing exercise, increasing calories, decreasing calories, decreasing carbs, etc). I just remind myself that a year ago I was 275 pounds and miserable and that wasn't even my highest weight. Now I'm 185-190, 5'10" and wear a size 12! I might be frustrated as hell right now but I'm already healthier than I have been my entire adult life.

Popcorn is no issue for me. My NUT said I can eat it in moderation after I was fully healed, about 12+ weeks, and to pop it myself if possible (air popped). Popcorn is not a slider for me. I cannot eat very much of it before I feel full but it is a slider for many so just be conscious of that and if you notice you can eat large amounts be aware of that.

It depends on many factors, as mentioned above, as well as how quickly you lose weight. I've lost right around 115 pounds and thankfully my skin is not awful. I have loose skin in the expected areas (arms, stomach and thighs) but I've noticed that in the 6 weeks I've been stalled my skin has bounced back some so I know something is happening. Shockingly my legs bounced back great but my arms are a hot mess, so you just never know.

I'm glad you were able to figure out what the culprit was. Eggs are a big one for many people so no shocker there. Trying them again later is a good option. It may be something you over come or not. Still can't eat egg with yolk

Congrats on meeting your first goal!

Not sure what were having tonight but last night we had a grilled ham steak with a little cauliflower (steamed with sea salt and a little butter) and potatoes. I'm 10.5 months post op and last meeting with my NUT in September she told me I needed to get more veggies and starches in my diet so I'm trying to incorporate veggies or starch in every meal, in moderation of course, protein will always be first. I don't eat seafood so I have to get my protein elsewhere. Some normal meal items for us include: Hamburger, no bun. We do low fat ground beef or turkey with a little pepper jack cheese and whatever toppings you like Lean Meatloaf BLT's with no bread so we make lettuce boat add low fat mayo with turkey bacon and tomato's Taco Salad (Ground turkey, salsa, a little lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese) with no shell Chili Grilled Italian Sausage or meatballs in sauce with cheese to cover my Italian fix (I used to eat a lot of pasta) Chicken Spiedies (local cuisine)

It took about 3 months for me to start to feel comfortable eating again. Now I have no issues unless I have a bit to much food or I eat super fast. Normal every day eating doesn't give me any discomfort.

I would play around a little with what foods your eating because it could be an intolerance issue. Since my sleeve I can't eat eggs anymore, unless it's straight egg whites, without discomfort and cramping. I'm 10.5 months out and I still have issues with eggs so I stay away from them. Also chicken is a big issue for a lot of people so it could be that as well. Keep trying and if it's uncomfortable back down to pureed for a few days and then try again.

I'm a little over 10 months post op and I've been using straws since about 3 months post op. My doc said if it doesn't bother me, it doesn't bother him. I've found that I can get more fluids in if I use a straw.

Something like this. Check with your surgeon of course but this was what they recommended to me: http://traditionalsweets.com/index.php/sugar-free/sugar-free-confectionery/simpkins-sugar-and-gluten-free-ginger-drops.html I actually found some at Babies R Us that were used for morning sickness that my NUT okayed for mild nausea I would sometimes get early on and when I had the stomach flu I tried them as well.